Kolkata Police are investigating whether the same gang was responsible for the murders of two app-cab drivers in and around the city within one week, after both victims were allegedly robbed, strangled and found with their legs tied. Investigators are examining CCTV footage, toll plaza records and mobile tower data to identify the suspects.
Cab driver Bhagwan Prasad Gupta was found dead inside his locked vehicle on D C Dey Road in Entally on Wednesday, police said. His legs had been tied and he had been strangled. Cash, gold jewellery and his phone were reportedly missing from the vehicle.
A similar case was reported on Monday, when driver Ramjas Kauri was found dead near Badua Mor on Delhi Road in Dankuni. He had also been strangled with his legs tied, according to police. His vehicle was later found abandoned in the Park Street-Mallikbazar area.
Police found several similarities during the investigation. Both drivers were from the Madhyamgram-airport area and both were allegedly robbed before being killed. Investigators also found that fake SIM cards were used in the two cases and that the victims’ phones were destroyed, apparently to conceal the suspects’ movements and identities.
CCTV footage showed three young men in both cases, while a woman was also seen with the group in the Dankuni incident. Police suspect the group may have posed as passengers and boarded the cabs near the airport or Madhyamgram before taking the drivers to other locations.
Investigators suspect Gupta may have been taken towards Kalyani Expressway, where he was allegedly robbed and killed after resisting. His vehicle was subsequently driven to Entally and parked near a broken CCTV camera. Police are examining whether the location was selected because surveillance coverage there was limited.
The motive remains unclear because the suspects did not take the vehicles. Police have not ruled out the possibility that at least one member of the group is familiar with the local area, while also examining whether the accused could have come from outside West Bengal.
The cases highlight the risks faced by app-cab drivers who accept passengers across a large metropolitan area, particularly when trips move from busy transport hubs to locations with limited surveillance. The police investigation is continuing, with teams checking camera footage, toll plaza videos and mobile tower data for links between the two incidents.
Police are expected to use the evidence collected from these sources to identify the suspects and establish the sequence of events in both murders.
